Question: Let $a,$ $b,$ and $c$ be distinct real numbers.  Simplify the expression
\[\frac{(x + a)^3}{(a - b)(a - c)} + \frac{(x + b)^3}{(b - a)(b - c)} + \frac{(x + c)^3}{(c - a)(c - b)}.\]
Solution: Let
\[p(x) = \frac{(x + a)^3}{(a - b)(a - c)} + \frac{(x + b)^3}{(b - a)(b - c)} + \frac{(x + c)^3}{(c - a)(c - b)}.\]Then
\begin{align*}
p(-a) &= \frac{(-a + a)^3}{(a - b)(a - c)} + \frac{(-a + b)^3}{(b - a)(b - c)} + \frac{(-a + c)^3}{(c - a)(c - b)} \\
&= \frac{(b - a)^3}{(b - a)(b - c)} + \frac{(c - a)^3}{(c - a)(c - b)} \\
&= \frac{(b - a)^2}{b - c} + \frac{(c - a)^2}{c - b} \\
&= \frac{(b - a)^2 - (c - a)^2}{b - c} \\
&= \frac{[(b - a) + (c - a)][(b - a) - (c - a)]}{b - c} \\
&= \frac{(b + c - 2a)(b - c)}{b - c} \\
&= b + c - 2a \\
&= (a + b + c) + 3(-a)
\end{align*}Similarly,
\begin{align*}
p(-b) &= a + c - 2b = (a + b + c) + 3(-b), \\
p(-c) &= a + b - 2c = (a + b + c) + 3(-c).
\end{align*}Since $p(x) = a + b + c + 3x$ for three distinct values of $x,$ by the Identity Theorem, $p(x) = \boxed{a + b + c + 3x}$ for all $x.$